RESEARCH AND EVALUATION - THE INVOLVEMENT OF COMMUNITY DIETITIANS

The recent document Dietitians in the Community: Opportunities for the Future (BDA, 1993) highlighted the importance of strengthening the evaluation and research base of the practice of dietitians working in the community. Members of the Community Nutrition Group of the BDA were surveyed by postal questionnaire in March 1992 to gather information to facilitate implementation of the report's recommendations. Thirty-six per cent of the members (n = 125) responded. Over half (56%) reported recent involvement in a research project and 97% expressed a need for better training and support in one or more aspects of the research process. Information was also gathered about the types of projects undertaken, preferred forms of support, previous training, evaluation and research, collaborative links and perceptions of the role of the BDA Research Committee and Metabolic Research Groups. This information is presented and discussed. In conclusion, relatively few community dietitians are actively involved in evaluation and research. Various modes of support are necessary to increase the number of dietitians engaged in this area, if the stated commitment of professional managers and the British Dietetic Association is to be fulfilled.